Prank h



(rufo Model.)

F; H. FOSTER.

GRILLE.

Patented NovQlz, 1895.

Z5-tuinar- A 5/ .a/ Z/ ,Lw Z a 7 www l UNITED STATES YPATENT OFFICE.

FRANK H. FOSTER, OF CHICAGO, IIiLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GEO. L. THOMPSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAMEILACE.

GRILLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,714, dated November 12, 1895. Application iiled May 31, 1895. Serial No. 551,148. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKH. FOSTER, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grilles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in grilles or ornamental gratings such as are commonly applied to the upper parts of door and window openings or other similar places in buildings; and it relates more particularly to improvements in that class of grilles which are constructed in sections, so as to be capae ble of being readily fitted to various widths of opening, and by carrying a comparatively small stock of which the dealer may be prepared tosupply customers at once with grilles for almost any width of door or window opening instead of being obligedrto make a new grille for each different width of opening.

The invention consists in the matters herein set forth, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a grille constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of one of the ornamental sections. Fig. 4c is an enlarged end view of the grille.

In said drawings, A designates a rectangular framework comprising upper and lower longitudinal rails A and A3 and vertical sideY mortises a are herein shown as provided in the extreme upper ends of the side bars A3, so that said upper rail will lie against the top of the door or window casing when the' grille is in place.

The ends of the lower rail A2 are shown as received within mortises cd, which are formed in the side bars a short distance above the lower ends thereof, and the lower extremities CL2 of said side bars are preferably rounded or beveled oif to meet the sides of the window or door casing, as shown, so as to afford a proper finish at this point.

.B B designate a plurality of separate panels placed end to end within the frame A and constituting the inner ornamental portion of the grille. Said panels are provided with upper and lower longitudinal bars b b', which are adapted to fit and slide within longitudinal grooves a3, formed in the inner faces of the frame-rails Al and A3. The number of panels placed within the frame A will of course depend upon the width of the window-opening, the rails A A2 being cut off to fit said opening and a sufiicient number of panels inserted between them to flll the opening when the side bars A3 are added. If an exact number of said panels fail to iill out the frame exactly, one or more of them is cut off sufficiently to reduce their aggregate width to the desired proportions.

In the approved construction shown the grooves 0,3 of the upper and lower rack A and A2 are made of dovetail shape, or wider at the bottom than at the mouth, and the bars b b of the panels B are made of corresponding crosssection, so that when the panels are once inserted between the rails A A2 they will serve to bind the latter together even before the side bars A3 are applied and will afterward hold the top rail down in its mortise a. A saw kerf or groove a4, sunk into the rail at the bottoms of the grooves @3,prevents the panels from binding in the grooves, while enabling them to be iitted closely therein.

IVith the foregoing construction the process of preparing a grille for any given width of opening is'extremely simple. and lower rails A and A2 are eut off to iit the opening from the long pieces kept regularly in stock. A number of panels B sufficient to reach across the opening when the side bars A3 are in position are then placed between the rails A' A2 by inserting their upper and lower bars b b in the grooves o3 and sliding them endwise until the central design of the grille is completed, said design being made up to The upper IOO suit the taste by selecting the panels as desired. In case an exact number of panels should fail to exactly fill the allowed space one or more may be cut oil? to meet the re quired dimensions. The end bars A2 are then applied and the grille is complete and ready to be placed in position.

Any style of ornamental design may obviously be employed in the panels B and as great avarietyoi" panels of differing design carried in stock as may be found convenient. T he length of the separate panels may also be varied, as desired, to accommodate the different designs and to enable the i'rame A in difiercnt lengths of grilles to be exactly filled up with greater facility. In constructing panels with double or single scrolls b2 ZJ, as shown in the center and end panels f the drawings, or other similar patterns the scrolls may be conveniently sawed out in the usual manner and secured to the upper and lower bars l) b of the panel by screws ZJ4 or otherwise. Vhen rounds or similar turned pieces lf are used, they will ordinarily be inserted in sockets bored in the bars b b, as indica-ted by dotted lilies in Fig. 2.

I claim as my invention- 1. A grille comprising a rectangular frame formed by continuous upper and lower rails provided with longitudinal grooves in their adjoinin faces, and detachable side bars con necting said rails, and an inner ornamental portion formed by a plurality of separate panels having upper and lower marginal bars iitting movably within the grooves of the frame rails, substantially as described.

2. A grille eomprisinga rectangular frame formed by continuous upper and lower rails provided with dovetailed longitudinal grooves in their adjacent faces, and detachable side bars provided with mortises to receive the ends of said rails, and an inner ornamental portion formed by a plurality of separate panels having upper and lower marginal bars litti n g movably within the longitudinal grooves of the rails and binding the latter together, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I ailix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this th day of May, A. I). 1895.

FRANK II. FOSTER.

fitnessesz C. CLARENCE POOLE, TAYLOR E. BROWN. 

